Monday, December 20, 2010

SPEED Will Not Be The NASCAR TV Network

It's been lots of fun watching the changes at SPEED since former Fox Sports chief David Hill took over the day-to-day senior management of the network. He recently put veteran TV executive Patti Wheeler in charge of both the programming and production departments.

With Wheeler's extensive NASCAR background and Hill's affinity for the sport, the rumor that SPEED would become a full time NASCAR TV network was suddenly supercharged. Now we know that is not going to happen. In fact, we know a lot more about what Wheeler and Hill are planning.

Click here for the Jalopnik.com article that featured Adam Carolla, who is pictured above. It was June of 2008 when Carolla was supposed to be hosting the US version of the popular Top Gear program for NBC. Needless to say, the series wound-up appearing this season on The History Channel with SPEED's Rutledge Wood in Carolla's role. Now it appears that SPEED will be giving Carolla another chance.

Variety.com reports that Carolla will be fronting a new show for SPEED. Here are the details:

Carolla will star along with Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal auto writer Dan Neil, ex-NBA star John Salley and Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire website. Carolla has been eager to do an auto-based TV show for some time. The show has been described as a cross between Top Gear and Fox Sports Net’s old The Best Damn Sports Show Period franchise, which featured Salley as a regular. According to the pitch, the show will feature news and conversation centered around cars, as well as pre-recorded features shot on the road.

In a press release, SPEED president Hunter Nickell detailed that SPEED is not developing original NASCAR-themed programs for prime time, but more celebrity-driven lifestyle and enthusiast shows. The lone NASCAR entry is once again a highlights program.

"SPEED has a history of success with original enthusiast programming," said Nickell. "We are aggressively communicating with the production community, teaming with some of the biggest names in the category as we develop the 2011 weekday prime time lineup."

This February, here are the new shows that will debut on SPEED weekdays after Race Hub.

Car Warriors (Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, 60 minutes) – This hyper-charged automotive build show will pit a team of eight "all-star" builders against a team of average Joe's from local garages in a 72-hour challenge to turn a basic car into a work of art. Judges include iconic car designer George Barris, hot rod craftsman Jimmy Shine and electronics wizard Mad Mike Martin.

American Trucker (Thursdays at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET, two 30-minute episodes) – Hosted by designer/artist and fanatical truck expert Rob Mariani, a finalist on HGTV's Design Star, this new show introduces the audience to iconic trucks, the famous routes they followed and the cargo missions that made history.

Car Science (Wednesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET, two 30-minute episodes) – The producers of the popular franchise series Sports Science and Fight Science bring a mad-cap scientific approach to the world of automobiles.

Speed Makers (Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, 60 minutes) – Speed Makers takes a look at the iconic builders and epic innovators of acceleration. From celebrated mega-structures like Daytona International Speedway to behind the scenes at Aston Martin, this show celebrates the masterminds of engineering power.

Ticket to Ride with Dan Neil (Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET) – Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal automotive writer Dan Neil takes viewers inside the business of cars, offering insightful test drives, interviews and commentary with a trademark wit that has made Neil a must-read for car lovers. Adam Carolla and others are along for the ride.

The 10 (Wednesday at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET, two 30-minute episodes) – A fast-paced list program, highlighting the best of the best from the world of NASCAR. First season topics include Most Bizarre Finishes, Throw-downs, Talladega Moments, All-Time Races, Closest Calls and Earnhardt Moments.

Hunter's only comment on any sort of original NASCAR-themed programming is that there are some projects still in development. Well, being in development at a time when other shows are signed, sealed and delivered is not exactly a good thing. There was a time when SPEED worked very hard on creating NASCAR content, but it seems those days are over.

On January 24, the network returns Race Hub Monday through Thursday at 7PM with host Steve Byrnes and reporter Danielle Trotta. This weekday NASCAR news series took SPEED years to finally produce amid failure after failure of enthusiast and lifestyle shows. Now, ironically, it is the cornerstone of SPEED's prime time line-up.

It does seem amazing that SPEED will not support its own coverage of the Camping World Truck Series with a weekly show. Also, original programming concepts from NASCAR Wives to a Humpy Wheeler interview show seem to have fizzled once again.

Meanwhile, click here for the story on CWTS driver Jennifer Jo Cobb's new TV project titled The Ride.

Recently, we saw The History Channel produce a season of Madhouse, Max Siegel create Changing Lanes for BET and Showtime offer Inside NASCAR every Wednesday during the season. Even Hendrick Motorsports got into the act with Jimmie Johnson 24/7 on HBO.

It's a bit of a surprise that SPEED is going to focus on the weekend coverage from the tracks and Race Hub as the primary NASCAR offerings. Monday nights on SPEED used to have a big NASCAR theme and serve as a wonderful platform to attract fans still buzzing about the races from the weekends.

It seems that once again programs connected in some way to actual racing have given way to made-for-TV entertainment as SPEED continues to push what it calls enthusiast programming in prime time for another year. My take is that the identity crisis at SPEED continues.

We welcome your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

Is it not amazing the BS these people can spew out? I think these “reality shows” are stupid and do not watch, but they must be making money. Can anyone point me to an article that gives a factual analysis of these shows – cost to produce, who and how many watch, net and gross income, etc.? Thanks, MC

I like Carolla but in very small doses. All of this fake "reality" programming has one thing in common - it's cheap to produce and requires zero creativity and talent.

This is programming to job security for the executives. When it fails as it surely will they can cover their ass by claiming they just need to hit on the right chemistry for the shows. It's really a shame, I thought the daughter of Humpy Wheeler would have shown some of her father's vision.

Once again the only SPEED programming I will watch is F1 coverage and CWTS races. I wish they would carry some of the F1 shows from Europe like they once did with Inside Grand Prix.

I think at some point there could be a limit to how much NASCAR programming people can handle.

It seemed like 8-9 years ago was kinda the right amount. In that, one could handle the shows yet would be open to watching more. They really only showed the races and qualifying and happy hour on TV. And then you had Totally NASCAR for your daily news and the weeks would be bookend by Inside Winston Cup and Trackside.

One issue today is they have added showing so many more hours weekly of on-track coverage. Plus more daily shows on Speed and ESPN. In addition to the other NASCAR related programs on various networks.

It use to be you would be thirsty for more NASCAR. But now it is so prevalent you can pick and choose what you want. And when it becomes a matter of picking and choosing, often you start to realize you can get by fine without watching some of the shows and races. Maybe those same shows and races that you couldn't live without not too long ago.

I'm crossing my fingers for 2011 & Nascar TV but I'm not very optimistic. I wish I could get on the bandwagon but I just don't seem to have good thoughts about it. I'm not really familiar with Adam Carolla I guess I'm used to hearing Jim Carolla here in Houston!

tiamatsrevenge: 1) Please don't describe the 15-34 male demo as pathetic...I find that slightly offensive... 2) I'm 18 and have no interest in anything Adam Carolla does, nor will I watch any "lifestyle" programming on a network that is supposed to be about cars and racing...

Come to think of it...how can one think that celebrities and lifestyle programming will work on a network called "SPEED." Please, leave that stuff for E!, BRAVO, and Oxygen...

Who was saying that? I never expected SPEED to become total NASCAR. That channel will be something brand new. Some change on my cable- SPEED is now on the Basic tier, while ESPN Classic moved off Extended to part of the extra Sport pkg.

Top Gear USA is a failure. We've watched twice now and don't like it at all. Still watching new eps of the REAL Top Gear. Sorry Rut.

Attn SPEED. Our family doesn't like "enthusiast" or "lifetime" TV auto shows. This whole list for us will be a FAIL. What we want is as much LIVE racing as we can possibly get from ALL series, along with NASCAR support shows like NCWTS Setup & RaceHub. Is that enough? I wish there was 1 more show for the Trucks, since we have many interesting drivers coming in. RaceHub definitely going in the right direction. Beyond that, not much else NASCAR we want or have time for, if it isn't live.

Reality tv in general has caused me to watch a lot less tv. I think these shows are all stupid. It shows how lazy the decision makers are at all the networks. It doesn't take a lot of creativity to come up with an idea for a reality show.

I don't want or need to see somebody's fake version of reality. This kind of stuff just pushes people more and more to places like Hulu and Netflix to watch what they want to watch on tv and not what some 20 something network exec thinks you want to watch.

Very disappointed. I was looking forward to the possibilities of more racing coverage, such as World of Outlaws, USAC, ARCA, and others, as well as additional NASCAR content. I don't watch much else on TV because it IS mostly "reality" programing and Adam Carolla is very droll...They should go ahead and change their name from "Speed" to "Sometimes Speed"....

Adam Carolla? Really... Well to say I'm underwhelmed and not gonna bother is an upgrade and family friendly. Lets review - lifestyle programming abounds, no NASCAR info programming save Racehub,Adam C., Salley, & Co., yup I won't be bothering. I hope those demo people have lots of time to waste on this.

This is the epitome of lazy on Speeds part. "fast paced" - it won't be, interesting ? to who?

If they were gonna tell us the truth it would have read "Lifestyle programming for teens & young adults still spending parents $, Cheap to produce - no thinking required,because no real info about anything will be given, non reality "reality" shows galore! Tune in to SPEED & waste your time ! Starts right after Racehub"

What "Chef" Nicki was unavailable for more garbage shows? No "Fast Track" flop- ola?

I will have to pass.Rather watch Rutledge on Top Gears, which is much better than I thought it would be.

A NASCAR-owned cable/satellite channel has always been a poplular item of discussion here at TDP. In spite of SPEED's actions that demonstrate they will not be a NASCAR themed channel, I still think it highly unlikely that NASCAR will step in to fill the void.

NASCAR's modus operandi has always been to sell the rights to NASCAR material but let someone else do the work and take the risk. NASCAR wants their money guaranteed up front. They always get their cut from standing back and watching, and I don't see that changing.

Each of us can create our own fantasy NASCAR channel with the shows we want to see, but the reality is very different. NASCAR would have to create a channel from scratch and generate the programming to fill 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It would also have to arrange distribution through cable and satellite systems. That would start another avalanche of complaints about the cost to viewers to subscribe to a certain tier of programming to obtain the channel. Other people would expect it to be available over the internet, at no cost and for every device.

NASCAR has also consistently demonstrated an obsession with media control so that only "happy" views are presented. A channel like that is not one that interests me.

The regulars here at TDP are mostly die-hard fans who love the sport and are always wanting more. For a NASCAR channel to work economically, it will take a far larger audience; and I question whether that audience exists. I seldom agree with NASCAR, but I do in this case. A NASCAR owned and operated channel is not a wise investment.

It's too bad they are not going to have more shows geared for NASCAR fans. I'll keep watching Race Hub and will check out American Trucker and Speed Makers. Those two sound pretty interesting but the rest of the new shows - no.

@JD -Thanks ! I was wishing & hoping we might get weekday broadcasts of some more RACES from other series too.At least we didn't lose any. We now have 2 DVRs & wanted to max out both! lol

Like more dirt, ARCA, more any short tracks. For the weeknights...And even a show about CWTS & ARCA racers.SPEED Report does good on the race results - in 1 hour we can not expect everything. But we do! ; )

Adam Corolla use to be on the Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel if I remember correctly and does commercials for some mail order pajamas for women.

Speed's NASCAR shows have gotten to be more about fluff than actual hard news. And by making more and more shows along the reality show genre they'll be hurting themselves. After all, reality and NASCAR have nothing to do with each other any more. It's more like racer-tainment akin to the WWE. Perception is reality according to Vince McMahon and Mike Helton.

I guess this goes along with what BZF is doing in order to keep himself, I mean the Short Attention Span Crowd amused.

Anything that even remotely is associated with David Hill cannot be a good thing as we've seen with the race coverage and commentary on Fox.

Historic shows? Canned grainy footage of the good ol' days may be cheap to produce, but it won't get many people watching.

Even when SPEED was stacked with NASCAR programs 6-7 years ago, 5 hours a week was about my max. These days, with Twitter, NASCAR Radio, various internet sites and phone apps, there really isn't a need for a weekday TV presence. Just another symptom of cable dying a slow death...

As you mentioned, the technology door is wide open to incorporate social media, interactive programs and actual reality shows of all kinds.

I included the example of other programs recently produced to show just how wide open this theme would really be.

I see branding a TV network with NASCAR as a plus instead of a minus. None of the new 2011 SPEED shows will enjoy my viewership. There are plenty of other TV entertainment networks grinding out exactly the same kind of content.

In defense of speed not everyone is a nascar fan. And with the decreasing popularity of nascar I can see why speed would take a step back from nascar programming. The problem is there aren't millions of car enthusiasts aged 18-34 out there. Im 20 and could care less about Adam Carolla. I am however one of the die hard nascar fans that are few and far between these days. Im kinda glad Speed has nothing popular during the week. I have a lot of other programs to watch. I know everyone loves Race Hub but Ive only seen it twice. Theres nothing on there that i cant read about on jayski. As far as these new shows go I probably wont watch. Since there not nascar oriented I have no reason to watch.

Even though a nascar tv network may not be owned by nascar even if its branded by nascar they will still control what is shown on that network. nascar could remove their branding if one of the shows isnt pro nascar. Im against the idea of a nascar tv network. It will end up just like sirius nascar radio, and who wants that.

Someone bashed The Racing Chef earlier and that irked me. I love that show. It breaks up the monotony that is nascar tv. Its a fun show that deserves a second season.

BTW For those interested there will be season review shows for Cup and Nationwide on Espn2 here in a few minutes.

What demographic are the SPEED suits aiming towards? With all the reality & lifestyle tv out there, SPEED is setting itself up for failure. I fall in the 18-35 male demographic and would not watch any of those shows.

JD, disagree w/idea that NASCAR brand would be a plus. Not after the France family took their $$$$ up front. I hope I never hear that NASCAR's royal family got a piece of the KC casino action for handing them a second cup race.

If SPEED viewership is down over last 5 yr has Fox had to reduce the fees cable and sat outfits pay to carry the channel?

Wow this sucks I thought the days of stupid shows were over? WHY WHY WHY see a Nascar Network is vital now a days we need it like no other. This makes no sense to me I cant belive this. ughhhhhhh I dont know what to say im at a lose for words stupid is all I can think of! Wouldnt it be nice if earlier today we all could of put on SPPED or Nascar Network in a perfect world, and be able to watch a classic race from the 80's or 90's to give us are fix of stock car racing when the season is off??? Wouldnt it be nice to anytime of the day flip on the tv and hear about Nascar??? Thats why the NFL will always triump over us! Theres even an MLB Network NBA Network NHL Network, hell theres a GOLF NETWORK no Nascar???? Speed wake up WAKE UP this is such a shame makes me sick to my stomach and they wonder why this sport is on the downword trend!!! AAA lets put Adam who gives a crap on Speed??? WHAT WHAT

Agree Jonathan! Back when you could trip over good shows on SPEED they use to on Thursdays (IIRC) have a Classic race day. Mike Joy & Matt Yocum took turns hosting but they'd air a race with commentary from one of the principal participants.

[Race Hub] took SPEED years to finally produce amid failure after failure of enthusiast and lifestyle shows.

It seems that once again programs connected in some way to actual racing have given way to made-for-TV entertainment as SPEED continues to push what it calls enthusiast programming in prime time for another year. My take is that the identity crisis at SPEED continues.

My take is the famous quote often incorrectly attributed to Albert Einstein that probably actually originated in a Narcotics Anonymous handbook:

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.

"the technology door is wide open to incorporate social media, interactive programs and actual reality shows of all kinds."

JD, that's the holy grail. Create a program/franchise that spans TV and social media and the internet. Think about what IWC/INC would have been back in the day with a decent website and Kenny/Johnny/Mike/AB tweeting and using facebook. Shoot, SPEED would be asking them what to put on Wednesday nights.

But...it's got to be real, and it's got to have chemistry first. Jenkins, Ned & Benny had it. The original IWC had it. Nothing since has really come close. I think if ESPN put AB with Dale & Andy they just might, but we'll probably never know...

So,MS.Wheeler has been on the job,maybe 3 months and posters here expect shows that were already in production to be cancelled and replaced by shows unknown and not in production(or maybe even planing)yet.Get real.I like NASCAR but I don't want to watch it 24/7.

Wheeler's presence was originally thought to be the signal that SPEED and NASCAR were ready to merge and form an official NASCAR TV network.

The reason SPEED left the Stamford, CT studios and moved to Charlotte, NC was to become NASCAR's TV network.

As you may remember, the original deal fell through for a variety of reasons. Now, the entire network is right down the street from the Charlotte Motor Speedway and staffed with NASCAR oriented personnel.

My opinion of the next logical step would be to know that viewership of the NASCAR product is down double digit percentages. It also logical to know that a lot of "tuners" watch speed for the "other" shows and not NASCAR.SPEED's first priority is to stay in business. Let them show whatever reality TV show they want as long as they aren't taking away any NASCAR related content. By having the "tuner" generations attention, maybe they can lure some new fans and viewers to our great sport.

Part of the problem with Speed is similar to that of Sirius 128. It's pro-NASCAR with little opposition or dissenting views. And this comes from NASCAR controlling access and content either directly or through the threats of pulling hard cards. I use to enjoy Dave DeSpain blasting the poor decisions of BZF and others ruining NASCAR. Now? Dave seems to just go along with everyone else, drinks the Kool Aid, and that's that. About the only Speed "personality" I can count on to even come close to saying something that questions NASCAR is Robin Miller and an occasional comment from Jimmy Spencer. Having both points of view would create debates and liven the shows up. But that doesn't seem to fit in with anyone's master plan.

I look forward to a show with Adam Carolla. Carolla is a car guy and collector along the lines of Jay Leno (with a little less$$). He has had a podcast for a few years now that focus' soley on cars and occasionally motorcycles. It is not a "comedy" show, but a very insightful program that includes interviews with many famous builders and celebrities who enjoy the automobile culture. For example, he had on actor Dax Shepard. Dax is big into the current "pro-touring" concept in auto restoration. The interview talked about not only that but things like Dax's first car, how he got into cars... everything but his acting career. Adam also has each guest bring a car from that persons collection to share with the audience. It is a very well done show, and I hope that Carolla can translate some of that to the new program.

I appreciate defense of NASCAR, I'm a big fan too, obviously, but I have to totally disagree about SPEED's role now. We like that they service different racing series & to "overlay" NASCAR would be, IMO, a bad business decision. Not all racing fans are NASCAR fans. The kids love Moto too, and I look at F1 races as well as that of other car series. If they were to go all NASCAR I think they would go bankrupt... um, not that they won't anyway with this silly programming.

So I guess the real question is, if NASCAR non-race programming is wanted, what would it be? Another TWIN? More NASCAR Wives? Gotta say, we wouldn't be interested in that either. We watched Racing Chef. We didn't watch Jimmie HBO. We watched the JGR one but it was boring. We got really bored with all the recap shows. We watched Kyle Busch's bit show but I imagine that was a tiny audience! If Tony Stewart did a show we'd watch that, as well as one about Kurt Busch's drag racing. We'll never watch another new Waltrip show or anything with a Wallace. Or any of the other current NASCAR TV people, actually, we're tired of them ALL!

Once, I thought a NASCAR Channel would be a great idea. I've mentioned it here many times. But technology is moving too fast & with erosion of TV audiences in general, now I think its too late. It would be better to get that kind of content online &/or on demand. Also, with all the tech I find I do prefer seeing NASCAR spread across different channels & online because, IMO, that increases exposure. Whether that model holds through the next media renegotiation remains to be seen.

The 10 (Wednesday at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET, two 30-minute episodes) – A fast-paced list program, highlighting the best of the best from the world of NASCAR. First season topics include Most Bizarre Finishes, Throw-downs, Talladega Moments, All-Time Races, Closest Calls and Earnhardt Moments.

As JD would say, this joke of a show is perfect for 'the new world of ESPN', 'cause it sounds like something SportsNation would do.

It's so sad SPEED is choosing fake reality/crappy lifestyle shows instead of more racing. But I also enjoy IRL, F1 & Wtunnel.

But there's so much racing out there its downright PITIFUL SPEED doesn't change it's name since it carries few all round races, period. Maybe they should drop the S . Just kidding (ok, not really)

To think Robin Miller, the ONLY OUTSPOKEN GUY in the racing media has had a pilot in the can wasting on the shelf for over a year, & we never saw it :( (Heard this from Robin himself, not a rumor)

He loves IRL but bashes it when needed & praises the baby steps forward it has taken. Thus nobody will hire him for tv/radio. He's seen as too loose a cannon but these wild/stupid 'lifestyle shows are not?'

“Lori Broady, 31, turns the [hair] dryer on, sticks it in her bed, and falls asleep to the soothing sound of hot air. She’s been doing this every night since she was 8 years old, despite knowing she may burn herself or start a fire.

for those wondering why so many reality shows....it's economics 101, same as any other network. Lots of network dramas these days being cancelled because you actually have to pay a lot to actors, writers, directors, etc. Don't like it, but the world is a tough place right now. As bevo said, cheap to produce. Simple as that. Personally, they have had shows I liked. 101 cars you must drive. That was funny, informative and entertaining. I could see Adam pulling something like that off. I'm a 50 year old female, and I find him occasionally funny. I'm not really into the macho demographic, obviously, but I guess some people just have no sense of humor. It's disappointing there's not more NASCAR programming, but perhaps they can use some time to develop some things. Patti did only take over late in the year (programming-wise.)

I understand this programming. Look, there are only a certain amount of NASCAR fans out there but there are FAR more general-interest TV fans. Networks want to get every eyeball at some point, and weeknights offer the very best chance of course. There's no need for a NASCAR rehash at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and an "old" race is just that--old. Most people who say they'd watch those races *think* they would, but they won't!

All-NASCAR programming does nothing but sabotage your chance at getting a general-interest audience. We know that NASCAR fans will get their fix on SPEED on weekends.

ummmmmmmmmmmmm did you not hear me say theres a network for NFL,NBA,MLB,NHL,GOLF,TENNIS, even a OUTDOOR Sportsmans station! If all of those stations can stay on im sure a Nascar station would do just fine and better than the crap speed plays now! I give credit to speed for all they do during the Nascar season but its just an afterthought now when the die hards are left with absolutley nothing but crappy shows on Speed witch I will never watch... Guess its DVD's VHS's Youtube and whatever else you do to get your Nascar fix during the offseason but this is Just sad! Its 5:09 am in Chicago and on Direct tv the Tennis Station has Tennis, the golf station has Golf Central Special, and the NBA station has NBA Game time! Again I say if they can make it so would the NASCAR NETWORK

I've been a RACING fan since the early 1950's and that included NASCAR but was never limited to it. I loved SPEEDVISION when it first came on the air way back when. They had all kinds of racing back then.

The only thing I watch on SPEED now is Dave Despain and an occasional special. I'm convinced that Fox can mess up anything and they have proved it with SPEED. I watch MAV-TV and HDTheatre and get much more racing and more interesting shows than SPEED provides.

There's more than enough NASCAR programming now and re-branding Speed as the official NASCAR propaganda channel would be the last straw for fans of the many other fans of (more interesting, IMO) forms of motorsports. If only Speed would just so more racing and less junk. I have to say I was happy to see things like the BTCC and FIA GT1 series over the holidays.